


Modern Character in Thedas Week

by Music_Feeds_My_Soul



Series: The Hermit [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Coping Mechanisms, Disabled Character, Mention of abuse, Mention of torture, Modern Character in Thedas, Multi, mcit2019, mentions of forced cannibalism, prompt collection, unhealthy and healthy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-07-31 07:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20111290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music_Feeds_My_Soul/pseuds/Music_Feeds_My_Soul
Summary: It's Modern Character in Thedas Week and I thought I'd pull out an older idea I have for the prompts.The Hermit of the Inquisition is regarded as one of the more secretive members of the organization. No one knows who the Hermit really is, and getting to know the person tends to go sour.  All anyone knows is that the Hermit refuses to give out a gender, the Hermit has a cat that helps with fighting and that the Hermit was at the mercy of blood mages for over a year.





	1. Spirit Sunday

Harold wants to scream. He wants to rage and spit but he knows, he  _ Knows  _ if he does he’ll change. He’s too young to do so.

He watches as his partner, his best friend- the woman that he cared for as more than a sister, screams in pain as the man continued to cut into her. 

He wanted to sob but didn’t dare. He had gone from human to spirit in a swirl of confusion, much to the man’s disappointment.

“I’d hoped for a young breeding pair.” Like they were nothing more than cattle. 

Harold managed to grab onto the cat- Jonsey- that his best friend had gotten for her parents. He wasn’t sucked into the Fade and he’s happy for it but not because he sees his friend, her family, tortured.

Her parents were killed first, apparently not possessing what the man had wanted. Her brother managed to take his own life when he got loose thanks to the other cat (who was dead now). Only she was left.

Harold closes his eyes but it doesn’t help. 

He can’t do anything without becoming corrupted. He is a Spirit now. A Spirit of Valour.

And he cannot help.


	2. Magic Monday

The Hermit watched closely as Jonsey/Harold growled from his perch. 

They had been under the mercy of a blood mage for a year after arriving in Thedas. The Hermit and Jonsey/Harold were all that was left. The Hermit had given up a name, a pronoun. Jonsey/Harold said it was to hide away from what had happened. The Hermit ignored him.

Their experiences had coloured their views of magic. The Hermit hated it. Jonsey/Harold was leery of it. Yet the two were forced to interact with mages while working with the Inquisition.

“You two are being very rude, simply lurking,” Solas remarked casually. The Hermit scowled while Jonsey/Harold hissed from the padded shoulders the Hermit wore.

“Rude or not, I am…” the Hermit hummed, trying to think of the word. English was Teverne and easy to use. The stint that Jonsey/Harold and the Hermit had had in the army before the Hermit lost a lower arm and Jonsey/Harold lost most of his hearing had taught them French which was like Orlesian. Common was odd yet not and the two had a hard time learning it. “... worry? Over magic? I am uncertain of it?”

** _Leery?_ ** Jonsey/Harold said, his voice a voice yet not.

“Yes. That… we are leery. I do not like magic. Jonsey/Harold is less…”

** _ I’m less hateful_ ** . 

“Continuing to call a Spirit of Valour-”

“He was human once. Not our fault you don’t believe us.” Hermit sniffed, giving Solas a dirty look. “You just don’t want your ideas to be wrong.”

“They aren’t-”

“We’re leaving.” The Hermit left with Jonsey/Harold and the two wandered Haven, running into Vivienne who smiled at them. 

“Hello, my dear.” Or well, smiled at the Hermit. She pretended not to see Jonsey/Harold. He was cool with that. “How are you?”

“Annoyed at Solas.” The Hermit replied. “He keeps clinging to things that are wrong. Past stuff? Wrong…”

** _Info._ **

“Thank you, yes that.”

“Your story is far-fetched,” Vivienne told the two.

“You’re not rude about it. The other Herald isn’t rude about it.” Vivienne did not react but the Hermit saw the glint in her eyes. This was the woman who was delighted at being made into a villain after all. She liked a good joke. “Cassandra isn’t rude about it.” Cullen was but the Hermit understood Cullen better than before. It was… hard. To like magic. The Hermit barely could stand being around Lily Trevelyan and Vivienne who both only used magic in combat. Unlike Solas who used it all the time. It unnerved the Hermit. 

Jonsey/Harold didn’t spend time with Cullen. The Hermit did but that was private.

“Well, I supposed Solas is a bit more prideful then we are.” Jonsey/Harold began laughing hysterically while the Hermit began cackling. Vivienne didn’t know how she made the two laugh but she was glad she had.


	3. Terrible Tuesday

There is blood covering her hands. There is blood covering her as she holds the spear she had driven into the mage’s body. She is shaking. She is shaking and crying and sobbing as she drops to her knees, Jonsey- Harold- the last of her family coming to curl up in her lap and she holds him with her arm, dropping the spear.

“No, no, no, no.” she cries. “No, no, no, no.”

War. She had been in war. She had fought in war. She had lost her arm to war. 

But this? This was not war. This… this was something else.

Na-

“NO!” she screams. “I am not her. I am not that woman. I am changed.” she says and she feels it. It is truth. She is not the woman from before.

Is she a woman? Is she even human? Do humans… her eyes go to the bodies of her parents and brother and she vomits, Jonsey-Harold-Jonsey fleeing from her lap as she looks at the parts of carved off the bodies. She remembers flesh shoved into her mouth and she pukes.

She is not the woman from before. She is not human. Not anymore. A human who suffered this would break would shatter. She cannot break, she cannot shatter. To do so would mean death.

She needs to live. She needs to live. And that means she is not a woman. She is not human.

She is not a she or a he.

Harold watches as his friend packs everything up and stocks it away in her mind. He feels his heart ache and feels the bits of him that are Spirit turn dark a little but do not corrupt. 

It simply leaves a mark.

The two don’t know it as they sob and scream- the person for lost family and Harold for a friend’s pain and his own mark of corruption- but it’s a Tuesday.

And it’s their worst Tuesday in Thedas.


	4. Warden Wednesday

The Hermit adjusted the scarf covering the bottom half of the Hermit’s face, the cracked goggles obscuring the Hermit’s eyes. 

“You’re the Hermit of the Inquisition?” asked Alistair. “The one who figured out how to make Qunari blackpowder and has created over thirteen different poisons.”

** _I was responsible for some of those._ ** Jonsey/Harold said.

“...Last time I met a talking cat it tried to convince us to let it possess a girl.” 

** _I’m already possessing a cat. Why would I want to possess anything else? I don’t have to do anything._ **

“You got lazy after bonding Jonsey/Harold.” The Hermit remarked. “And we have to go fight now.”

“Joy, fighting other Wardens, what fun.” Alistair muttered. 

“Could be worse. Could be dragons.” The Hermit said before stopping. Wait…

A loud roar filled the air and Alistair sighed. 

“Thanks for that.” 

“Sorry.”


	5. Thirsty Thursday

“You like her.” A voice said. The Hermit didn’t jump, the young man leaning on the rail had been nice enough to make some noise before appearing. “ _ Blonde hair, pretty smile. Nice laugh. Smells like sugar and honey. Sweet, smart. Fire and bees and fun _ . She makes you… happy.”

“Sera is nice.” The Hermit said softly, watching as Sera laughed, dancing with some of the Chargers down below. A large party to get Bull’s mind off what had happened at the Storm Coast. “Pretty to.”

“Sera is rude but nice. Doesn’t mean some of what she says. Means it other times. _ Doesn’t treat me like I’m stupid. Makes sure to not forget I only have one arm. Smiling and whirling, makes me happy. _ She makes you less the Hermit and more Hermit. Everyone does, but Sera moreso.”

“Not using my old name?” The Hermit asked curiously. 

“You’re not her anymore. Like Cullen isn’t Templar Cullen, like Jonsey/Harold isn’t Harold or Jonsey anymore. You’re different. More.” Cole hummed. “You’re not her anymore.”

“...Sera makes me happy. Everyone does.” The Hermit said. “...I have changed.”

“ _ Little girl goes to war, comes back without an arm. Dragged into hell and comes out changed _ .” Cole said, his voice eerie. 

“...Is she aware I like her?”

“ _ Funny, smart. Doesn’t treat me like an elf. Treats me like I’m me. Kind. Rumours Hermit likes Cully-Wully. No, made a face at them. Maybe… _ ” Cole hummed. The Hermit blinked and then smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Go. She wants to dance.” The Hermit smiled wider and removed the poncho that covered the scars and the removed arm. The Hermit jumped down to the floor and offered their sole hand to Sera.

Sera took it with a smile


	6. Freaky Friday (Late)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post. My week has sucked so much and yesterday kinda had this cherry on top that made me just not give a damn.

I forgot what having two arms is like.” The Hermit mused. Iron Bull snorted.

“I see your eyesight is no improvement over mine.”

“I wear glasses. Use them.”

Lily Trevelyan made a face at two of her best companions, now stuck in each other’s bodies. Somehow.

Apparently it was the fault of Dorian, Solas and Harold. Or Jonsey. Honestly, Lily had no idea who was the cat and who was the man and the Hermit and the cat-man found it to funny to tell her.

“How did this happen?” Lily asked.

“Jonsey/Harold want to be separate so we tried to make a new body.” the Hermit said. 

“...Why was Bull here?” Iron Bull’s body gave the deadpan stare of the Hermit- which looked weird- and waited.

“...Oh yeah.” Lily shook her head. “...Why isn’t Sera here?”

“She ran off. To freaky for her.”

** _...It’s Friday. _ **

That got the body of Iron Bull laughing so hard he fell over, laughing hard while Jonsey/Harold was cackling as well. Lily decided she did not want to know. Especially when the Hermit asked which of them was someone named Lohan.

“Okay, how are we going to swap them back? I assume that they do want back into their own bodies.”

“Yeah, I would. Hermit’s short.”

“I’m average height. You’re to tall. How do you not bash your head open?”

“Practice- no, not like. C’mon Hermit!”

“Eff off Bull!”

Lily closed her eyes as the two began yelling at one another.

“Jonsey/Harold, you alright staying like that?” 

** _ I have no complaints right now. I would like to have a body though._ **

It had been hard to take the story that the Hermit and Jonsey/Harold had told and beleive it, but after being tossed into the Fade and seeing the Spirit attatched to the cat? The Spirit who looked to human and acted to human?

Yeah, they believed it. And it made them all wonder about the true nature of spirits.

And made Solas bang his head.

“We’ll figure something out. I mean are you okay like that right now so we can focus on this?”

** _ I am._ **

“Excellent. Now- Dorian, Solas. Go talk to Vivienne.” Everyone groaned.

“She’s going to lecture us.” That is weird hearing that from the Hermit’s body.

“To bad. Go.”

They needed all magical minds on this.


	7. Swooping Saturday

Lily Tevelyan was not having a good time as she struggled up the mountain path. It was cold, she hated exercise and she wanted a nice warm bath. All things denied to her- and had been since the Circles fell. 

Wrapping her cloak tighter around herself, she huffed as Cassandra muttered under her breath about her.

Excuse her for not being used to nature. Even after the Circles fell her family had shealtered her.

Suddenly a spear went whistling past her head, and slammed into something that moaned and fell. A bear.

A BEAR?! How had they not seen that in the woods?!

“Everyone… alright?” a voice asked, the words broken and muffled. A figure came out of a cave, wearing a poncho over top of leather armour, a scarf covering the mouth and top of the head.

“Hermit!” Cassandra said in relief. “We thought you dead.” The Hermit’s head tilted, eyes hidden behind a strange apparatus that looked like seeing glasses but were dark.

“...I alive. Jonsey/Harold to.” a car poked a head up, over the Hermit’s shoulder. It was rewarded with a pet. “What happen? Explosion?”

“Your warning was true.” Cassandra sighed. “We should have done more.”

“I see. Not your fault.” The Hermit shook… her? His? Head. “Who she?”

“We found her, the only survivor.” 

“I do not know word. Get meaning though. She is Tevinter?” Cassandra blinked. “Tevinter plot… is she not?”

“She still could have something to do with this.” Cassandra tried but even she sounded doubtful. Lily decided then and there if this Hermit had managed to convince Cassandra she wasn’t the one responsible then they were her new best friend.


End file.
